My family, we are upstairs getting ready until the very last minute. Breakfast, if there is time, is in a rush.
My sister, impatient with the slower pace of Kusadasi, picked up Teoman - forced everybody to say goodbye, and loaded him in the car. My father was waiting for me as I picked up the tail. Baba's "eyes were wet," as Tolga would say. So were my father's. My Anne cried too, kissing my mother saying "We are waiting for you to come again."
We were driving back to Ankara. My mother was still riding my sister about going further up the western coast. They would have to split off because I needed to return the rental car, and we would all meet up again in Istanbul. Aside from the fact that they would be choosing tourism over spending time with their nephew/grandson, and not seeing Tolga at all - I'm not sure my mother realized how costly, time consuming, and tiring it would be to take several buses to the city, figure out bus schedules, taxi to hotels and sights, and so on. My sister was a more experienced traveler and aware of the trouble it would be - but she also prided herself on being independent - so she left the option hanging in the air to show that she might at anytime, decide to go another a direction . . . maybe even Greece.
For the time being, they both decided to ride part of the way to Pamukkale. I told them both I thought they'd really like it.
SISTER: Why?
MOM: What's there?
ME: It's a surprise - trust me.
My mom and sister promptly opened my guidebooks to find Pamukkale, and decide for themselves whether it was worth seeing.
We stopped at a gas station to fill up first.
SISTER: Wow, gas is cheap here.
DAD: No, it's not.
ME: It's in liters.
DAD: That's about $9 a gallon.
(My father had a conversion app on his phone and liked to get exact comparisons of the metric system).
My sister offered to help pay for half. I followed her in to add the points to our gas card.
SISTER: I'm not sure what pump number we're on.
(It amazes me how she operates exactly like she would in America. I stepped passed her and handed the cashier the receipt I had collected along with my gas card.)
SISTER: Are you paying?
ME: No, just a points card.
SISTER: Ohhh, using us for your points, huh? MEOW!
She over her credit card. My father started to give the cashier lire as well, but my sister stopped him.
SISTER: I'll just put in on my card. I almost have enough points for a free trip to South America. MEOW!
ME: I thought you were just making fun of me for getting points.
SISTER: I hardly get any points for it.
Ah, okay. And so our road trip begins.
We left at Kusadasi at nine in the morning, got in Pamukkale around 12:30, checked in a hotel, and went to the National Park. We were stalled a little as I had to change, nurse, and eat. My sister wasn't happy about this - and kept complaining that the place was going to close at 4:30. I'm not sure where she came up with this time as the place didn't actually close until 7pm. It was a huge complex though, and could easily take the whole day if you were really wanting to see all things ancient - but heat can take out all ambition.
Pamukkale is travertine pools set on the hillside. Up top there is the ruins of Heiropolis and a place to swim in the ancient mineral baths. It turned into a beautiful evening - but I think we were all dehydrated.
The next day, my father and sister decided to paraglide over the travertines before we continued onto Ankara.
We were driving back to Ankara. My mother was still riding my sister about going further up the western coast. They would have to split off because I needed to return the rental car, and we would all meet up again in Istanbul. Aside from the fact that they would be choosing tourism over spending time with their nephew/grandson, and not seeing Tolga at all - I'm not sure my mother realized how costly, time consuming, and tiring it would be to take several buses to the city, figure out bus schedules, taxi to hotels and sights, and so on. My sister was a more experienced traveler and aware of the trouble it would be - but she also prided herself on being independent - so she left the option hanging in the air to show that she might at anytime, decide to go another a direction . . . maybe even Greece.
For the time being, they both decided to ride part of the way to Pamukkale. I told them both I thought they'd really like it.
SISTER: Why?
MOM: What's there?
ME: It's a surprise - trust me.
My mom and sister promptly opened my guidebooks to find Pamukkale, and decide for themselves whether it was worth seeing.
We stopped at a gas station to fill up first.
SISTER: Wow, gas is cheap here.
DAD: No, it's not.
ME: It's in liters.
DAD: That's about $9 a gallon.
(My father had a conversion app on his phone and liked to get exact comparisons of the metric system).
My sister offered to help pay for half. I followed her in to add the points to our gas card.
SISTER: I'm not sure what pump number we're on.
(It amazes me how she operates exactly like she would in America. I stepped passed her and handed the cashier the receipt I had collected along with my gas card.)
SISTER: Are you paying?
ME: No, just a points card.
SISTER: Ohhh, using us for your points, huh? MEOW!
She over her credit card. My father started to give the cashier lire as well, but my sister stopped him.
SISTER: I'll just put in on my card. I almost have enough points for a free trip to South America. MEOW!
ME: I thought you were just making fun of me for getting points.
SISTER: I hardly get any points for it.
Ah, okay. And so our road trip begins.
We left at Kusadasi at nine in the morning, got in Pamukkale around 12:30, checked in a hotel, and went to the National Park. We were stalled a little as I had to change, nurse, and eat. My sister wasn't happy about this - and kept complaining that the place was going to close at 4:30. I'm not sure where she came up with this time as the place didn't actually close until 7pm. It was a huge complex though, and could easily take the whole day if you were really wanting to see all things ancient - but heat can take out all ambition.
Pamukkale is travertine pools set on the hillside. Up top there is the ruins of Heiropolis and a place to swim in the ancient mineral baths. It turned into a beautiful evening - but I think we were all dehydrated.
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| travertine pools |
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| travertine cliffside |
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| ancient mineral baths |
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| Pops taking a nap at the ancient baths |
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| Part of Heiropolis |
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| dinner at the hotel |
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| Paragliding over Pamukkale - the "cotton castle" |
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